Not Just Monkey Business: circRNAs are Dynamic in the Aging Non-Human Primate BrainSeptember 28, 2018While we tend to grow out of monkey business and running in circles as we grow older, exciting new profiles of brain circular RNA (circRNA) dynamics during normal aging have emerged thanks to these two youthful tactics. This insightful research into non-human primates comes from the groups of Jiali Li (University of the Chinese Academy […]
Egg-ceptional Role of Retrotransposon Transcription in Depositing DNA MethylationSeptember 25, 2018What do the mammalian genome and an old storage unit have in common? They’re both full of so-called junk. But unlike your aunt’s box of glass figurines, the junk in the human genome has turned out to have a lot of value. Most the “junk” in the human genome arose from retrotransposons. Long terminal repeat […]
Recycling: Keeping the Planet Green and the Histone Modification Landscape Pristine!September 22, 2018Recycling represents one of the most important strategies to keep the planet clean and green for generations to come. Used paper, metal, and plastic and other assorted detritus generally encounter a second use, but can we recycle the histone proteins that help to package our DNA and maintain cell-type-specific transcriptional programs? A lean, clean, and […]
Forget a Moment on the Lips, DNA Methylation Disruptions from a Night Without Sleep Could Mean ‘Forever’ on the HipsSeptember 20, 2018While staring at the alarm clock isn’ta great way to catch a healthy night’s sleep, the lull of our circadian rhythm most certainly is. The circadian clock keeps our cells and their epigenomes in shape by maintaining synchrony with the day, and now new findings from the lab of Christian Benedict at Uppsala University (Sweden) […]
Chromatin Domain Boundary Issues Turn Short Tandem Repeats PathogenicSeptember 11, 2018Boundary issues between countries can start wars, while boundary issues between people cause personal space problems; but can boundary issues between repetitive loci lead to the development of human disorders? The pathogenesis of the disorders in question, which include fragile X syndrome (FXS), Huntington’s disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, and Friedreich’s ataxia, involves the unstable expansion […]
To Bee or Not to Bee Queen: The Role of Chromatin Structure in Honey Bee Caste DeterminationSeptember 2, 2018We’d all like to be queen for a day, but most of us weren’t born into royalty. In the honey bee world, your queen status is also determined pretty early on—only 96 hours after hatching. New research has uncovered more epigenetic modifications that determine who gets to be queen bee. And who better to study […]
Neurons Make the Most of m6A mRNA MethylationAugust 29, 2018Move over DNA methylation, take a seat histone modification, it’s time to make room for RNA methylation. When you think of the importance of epigenetics to brain function and cognition, you probably think of well characterized changes DNA methylation, histone marks, and ncRNA. Well you better make some room in your own neural networks, because […]
The Epididymosome’s Small ncRNA Payload is Critical to Sperm Maturation and Embryonic DevelopmentAugust 21, 2018A coming-of-age can be beautiful thing. Along with all the exciting responsibilities that accompany maturity comes a celebration in many cultures but perhaps most memorable to all who have been through one are the gifts. Now, it seems that sperm are no exception as during their maturation process they acquire the gift of small ncRNAs […]
All-Access Pass: Mouse Chromatin Accessibility at the Single Cell LevelAugust 14, 2018An “all-access” pass to a concert might get you behind the scenes with the band, but as a scientist wouldn’t you rather go behind the scenes in a cell, and get the inside scoop on the regulation of gene expression? (No? Just us?) Fortunately, new research from the labs of Cole Trapnell and Jay Shendure […]
Multi-Contact 4C (MC-4C): Nanopore Sequencing Captures Multi-Way Chromosome Conformations of Single-AllelesAugust 7, 2018While chromosomes have been captured in promiscuous situations before, a tiny spying device of the genomic variety has captured chromosomes in some of their most intimate conformations. By applying Oxford Nanopore Technologies (ONT) MinION portable sequencer to the study of chromosome contacts, the labs of Wouter de Laat and Jeroen de Ridder at Utrecht University […]